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In this letter

A year to remember | 25 for 25, the clarinet edition

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In this season of reflection, when the rush settles just enough for us to take a breath, we remember why we started this work in the first place. Not for the programs or the altissimo fingerings or the perfect guest line-ups. But for the people. For you.

This year asked more of us than we expected. In the spring, I stepped away to care for my sister during her final months. It was the hardest thing I've ever done, and the most important. And when I told you I needed to pause, you didn't question it. You didn't ask when I'd be back or what it meant for your goals. You simply said, "Take care of her. Take care of yourself. We'll be here."

That's the kind of community we've built together. One who understands that being a whole musician means being a whole human first.

While I was away, four incredible women held everything together. They answered your questions, led your coaching calls, sent your resources, and kept this space alive with the same care I would have given it myself. They didn't just maintain Music360/DCA. They poured themselves into it. And watching them step so fully into their gifts reminded me that this work has always been bigger than one person's vision. It's become something we're all creating together.

You showed up for each other too. You celebrated wins in comments and chats. You shared opportunities and encouragement. You held space for the hard days and the breakthroughs. You proved what we've always believed: that musicians don't have to navigate this path alone.

As we head into our sixth year, we're thinking clearly about what comes next. Not bigger for the sake of bigger. Not more just to fill space. But clearer. We want to be more focused on what serves you best, and expand in the directions that feel true

We're learning to trust that tension between being intentional about how we serve you, and staying open to the paths that surprise us. To build with purpose, not pressure. To grow in ways that honor both the work and the people doing it.

That's what you've reminded us of. That real growth, the kind that actually transforms careers and lives, doesn't happen on a forced timeline. It happens when someone finally has permission to be themselves, fully. When they stop performing who they think they should be and start building from who they actually are.

So as we close out 2025, we're not making big announcements about what's coming. We're simply grateful. We're grateful for the trust you've given us, and the vulnerability you've brought to this space. For showing us, again and again, that investing in the whole musician, the whole human, is the best work worth doing.

Whatever 2026 holds for you, we hope Music360/DCA continues to be a place where you can breathe. Where you can bring your full self and build a career that doesn't require you to choose between artistry and livelihood, or ambition and well-being.

None of this work, not a single program or call or resource, means anything without you!

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Thank you for another year of growth, trust, honesty, and courage. Thank you for letting us walk with you. And thank you for building this community into something none of us could have created alone.

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We made a set of 25 prompts to help you look back with honesty and forward with intention, and ones that account for all that reed drama! Here are a few to get you thinking.

1. Which piece or passage taught you the most about yourself as a musician?
2. When did you feel most connected to your sound this year? What conditions made that possible?
3. What's one technical breakthrough you made this year, and what shifted to make it possible?
4. Be real: how long did your longest reed last before you retired it with full honors?
5. What passage made you question all your life choices this year?

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​Download the full 25 here! ​

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Here's to a gentle close to this year, and a purpose-centered beginning to the next.

We'll be here, ready to help you build what's next. With humor and heart.

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Deep gratitude and love,

Ixi (& Zoe, Citlalmina, Anna & Zoe)

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